Word counting mechanism for typewriters



. Dec. 2, l94l. JQE. TUCKER ,IORD GOUIITIIG CHAIIISI FOR TYPEIRI'I'ERSvuX:

4 shoets sheet 1 Filed July 12, 1939 Inventor Dec. 2, 1941. J. E. TUCKER2,255,038

wonn cotm'rma macmunsu ron nrmnms Filed July 12, 19:59 4 Sheets-Sheet 2$6, 7 Inventor v fflfac/rer Dec. 2, 1941. J. E. TUCKER 2,265,083

'QRD COUNTING IECHAIISI FOR TYPHIRITBRS 7 Filed July 12, 19394Shets-Sheet 3 n 62 0 K, -n; 4;, i; 6'0 7 9 67 8Q I 6.9

A tiomeys Inventor Dec. 2, 1941. J. E. TUCKER WORD COUNTING MECHANICS"FOR TYPEVIRITERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 12, 1939 m n 0; r 0 vN. au" I u H 1 n 7 n RN. u H

A tiomeys Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WORDCOUNTING DIECHANISM FOR I TYPEWRITEBS' Junius a. Tucker, Buffalo, N. r.

Application July 12, 1939, Serial No. 284,064

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to typewriters and more particularly tocounting mechanism for counting each word as a typewriter or othertypographic keyboard is being operated.

An object of the present invention is to provide means of this characteradapted to correctly count each written word, and embodies the provisionof a counting mechanism operated by the same members of a typewriterthat are used in typing so that each actuation of these parts willresult in the counting of individual words, and also to providea'mechanism whereby each word occurring at the end of a written line maybe counted without resorting to the use of the space bar for thispurpose, and without any attention of the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of thischaracter in which the counting mechanism is controlled by the typingmembers, together with the space bar, so that a false counting cannot bemade on the counting mechanism merely by operating the space bar, but inwhich an operation of the type bars as well as the space bar and othermembers used in typing, is necessary to complete the counting of thewords.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is aside elevational view of the counting control mechanism shown inoperative position relative to the space bar, type bars and otherfeatures of a typewriter.

Figures 2 to 9 inclusive represent perspective views of certain of theparts employed in carrying out the invention.

Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the counter.

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a linell-ll of Figure 10, and illustrating the pawl and ratchet operatingmechanism for one side of the first counter disk.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional view through the counter casingshowing an opposite side of the counter disks for recording thesuccessive digits.

Figure 13 is a front elevational view of one of the disks, and

Figure 14 is a fragmentary plan view showing how any type bar operatesthe counting mechanism and how the platen roller operating lever is alsoutilized as an operating element for the mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 in Figure 1 showsa portion of a typewriter frame in dotted lines and to which is suitablymounted the counter casing 6 having the operating lever 1 projectingforwardly therefrom and connected by a link 8 to a lever 9 pivotedintermediate its ends as at I. The link 8 is connected to the rear endof the lever 9, the front end of which underlies the downturned end ofan arm ll having its opposite end secured to the space bar l2 of themachine.

The forward end of the lever 9 extends downward as shown at 13 and isprovided with a pair of vertically spaced pins I4 between which one endl5 of a bell crank lever is positioned, the bell crank lever beingpivotally supported intermediate its ends as at It and has its other endI! extending vertically in the path of the down-- wardly turned end illof a drag link l9 which extends toward the rear of the machine and hasits rear end upwardly and rearwardly inclined as shown at 20 andpivotally connected near one end of a laterally positioned flat bar 2|which has its ends movably pivoted as at 22 to the side frames of themachine. The bar 2| is engaged bya lateral lug 23 intermediate the endsof a lever 23' pivoted as at 24 to the carriage frame of the platen, oneend of the lever 23 being offset to the left-hand end of the bar as at23", and extends upwardly and has its upper end pivotally attached to alink 25. The link 25 extends forwardly and has its forward end securedto the combined platen, operating and carriage return lever 26 by aconnecting member 21.

One of the type bars is indicated at 28 and the hyphen bar is shown at29. A lug 30 projects downwardly from the hyphen bar to which ispivotally attached the rear end of an arm 3| which extends forwardly andhas a slotted opening 32 formed in its front end provided with adownwardly extending notch 32 at the front end of the slot and withinwhich a pin 33 is inserted, the pin projecting laterally from the rearend of a catch 34 pivotally mounted intermediate itsends as at 35 forengagement in a notch 36 formed in an arcuate member 31 pivoted at oneend as at 38 .to the frame and having a leaf spring 39 engaging itsopposite end to yieldably urge the notch 3b out of engagement with thead acent end of the catch 34.

A pin 40 projecting laterally from one end, of a rocker arm 4| isadapted to engage under the drag link l9 as well as enter the notch 36,the rocker arm being pivotally mounted intermediateits ends as at 2 andhas its opposite end inclined upwardly for engagement by the lower edgeof the hyphen bar 28.

The arm 3| immediately rearwardly of the angular slot 32 is providedwith a laterally projecting pin 43 engaged in a slot 44 of the forwardend of the slotted arm 45 which has its rear end secured to atransversely extending plate 46' which is pivoted at its rear edge as at46 to the pivotally connecting alternately reciprocating bar 49 to thefront edge of a transversely extending relatively broad bar 49 havingtrunnions 66 proheating from its front end edges for piv'otally mountingsaid front edge in the typewriter frame, the rear edge of the barresting on the front edge of the plate 46 and engaged by lugs 6I formedon the under side of the type bars 29.

The front end of the alternating reciprocating bar 49 is formed with atapered head 62 movably supported on a roller 63 and adapted to rideunder the downwardly extending end I3 of the pivoted v lever 9.

In the operation of the counter actuating mechanism described above,when the space bar I2 is depressed the arm II rocks the lever 9 in amanner to move the link 8 and counteroperating lever I upwardly. Thismovement of the lever 9 also rocks the bell crank lever I6 to move theupwardly extending end I! thereof inwardly away from the hook I9 of thedrag link I9.. The count-' ing machine is now set and when any of thetype the counter again to be actuated by the first letter of the nextword, or of any numeral, as by the de-'" pressing of the type bar.

When the end of the typewritten line is reached the space bar ordinarilyis not depressed and accordingly it becomes necessary to move thecounter operating lever 1 into a counting position by other means,otherwise the last word of a line and the first word of the next linewould be counted as one. Accordingly, as the platen-operating lever 26is actuated to return the platen carriage to the right hand side of themachine, the drag link I9 is then actuated, which moves the hook I8thereof rearwardly against the upturned end, II of the bell crank leverI6, thus causing a downward movement of the front end of the lever 9, inthe same manner as that accomplished through the operation of the spacebar I2. 1

When a word is divided and the last portion of the word is carried tothe beginning of the next typewritten line, a hyphen is used at the endof 'the preceding line and upon the actuation of the hyphen key, thehyphen bar 29 will operate the rod 3| which, by reason of the pin andslot connection 32 and 33, will prevent any effect of the movementof'the reciprocating bar 48, for at the same time the hook-I8 of thedrag link I9, through the medium of the rocker arm 4I and pin 40, hasbeen lifted to a position too high to engage the bell crank lever I6 andis held in this position by the pin 40 slipping into the notch 36 of thearouate member 31. This lifting of the drag link I9 prevents the counterfrom being reset by the movement of the platen operating lever 26 andtherefore prevents the hyphenated word from being counted twice.However, the hook I8 of the drag link I9 will again be lowered by thefirst letter subsequently depressed by any type bar operating on the bar49 causing a rocking movement thereof and actuating the pin 43 carriedby the rod 3| and rocks the catch 34 by reason of its connection withthe slot 32, resulting in a swinging movement of the arcuate member 31to rei .arcuate member 31 above the notch 36, so that when the curvedend of the catch 34 moves downwardly on the rounded or cam edge of thearcuate member 91, said member 31 will be rocked forwardly; bearingagainst the spring 39, which action releases the pin 49, and as the dragrod I9 is resting on the pin 40 it will be pushed downwardly by the rod,thus causing the opposite end of the rocker arm 4I to move against thehyphen bar 29. When this bar is struck, the motion of the members isreversed through the power of the hyphen bar 29 and spring 39, thuslocking the pin 49 in the notch 36.

The counting mechanism is shown in detail in Figures 10 to 13 inclusive,and includes the casing 64 having the groups of window openings 66formed therein. r

'A plurality of counter disks 66 are freely mounted in the casing on ashaft 61, each of the disks having a ratchet 66 fixed to one'sidethereof,

and the lever 1 projects inwardly through a slotted opening 69 in thecasing and is pivoted at its inner end as at 69. A dog 6I is secured tothe lever for engaging the teeth of the ratchet 66 for successivemovement of the teeth upon a depressing action of the lever I. A leafspring 62 yieldably holds dog 6| in its engaged position terminedmovement of the disk 66 thus causing a limited movement of the adjacentdisk.

I Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a counting mechanism for typewriting machines employing a keyboardincluding a pivoted carriage return and line spacing lever, a countermechanism having a two-stage counting movement, initial counteractuating means operatively connected to the carriage return and linespacing lever of the machine, hyphen bar actuated means operable torender the carriage return and line spacing lever operating meansineffective upon the actuation of the hyphen bar of the machine, andindependent operating means for completing the counting operation.

2. In a counting mechanism for typewriting machines employing a.keyboard including a space bar, a counter mechanism having a two-stagemovement to complete a counting operation, a pivoted counter actuatinglever operable upon opposite movements to complete a counting operation,means for moving the lever in one direction, a transversely extendingpivoted plate un- JUNIUS E. TUCKER.

